20140605

static park - how is the world treating you? (self-released, 2014)
great cdr from julien skrobek, a parisian noise/guitar/beat producer. this cd breaks many "rules" and sounds utterly enjoyable. i'm not sure if the selection of pieces and experiments in noise wall julien presents from his bandcamp plays like an album, but i listen all the way through. material consists of, firstly, standard noise wall of the bassy, crunchy, gritty variety that i like (as opposed to the mid-range roaring variety, which i also enjoy). sounds like rubbing a scouring pad on your face for 10 minutes. secondly, noise wall and guitar playing. the guitar is melodic and not especially "of" a particular genre... maybe a little folk-y or soundtrack-y, but very comforting, neutral (in a good way), and well-played. this combination is counterintuitive to my ears; given the extremity of noise wall, the counterbalance of "light" music along with creates a unique listening environment. some pieces feature the guitar run through the noise wall rig, setups which julien documents throroughly on his blog along with comics, recording ideas, general musings, etc. third and final material type: hip hop beats with wall. yeah, you read it correctly! the beats sound circa 1990, possibly fruity loops and some guitar and bass playing on top. they're really awesome, just perfectly charming, funky and dry, and the wall noise cutting in and out is totally disorienting. a refreshingly thoughtful and totally progressive approach to wall.